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Ancient Greeks have an affinity with dragons and frequently used them as monsters in fantastic mythological tales. As with most Greek mythological creatures, dragons still perpetuate the modern culture. For instance, the band my friend recently watched, the Imagine Dragons into the night tour used the mystical creatures in their band name.

Ancient Greece has four main types of dragons: the serpent-like Dracones, the marine Cetea, the she-monster Dracaenae, and the fire-breathing Chimaera.

Here are the most well-known and feared dragons in ancient Greece:

Ladon

Ladon is a serpent-like dragon that guarded the tree with the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides. He is said to have almost a hundred heads and his body twined around the tree. According to myths, he was defeated by Heracles in a bloody battle.

Lernaean Hydra

The daughter of Typhon and Echidna, the Lernaean Hydra is a dragon-like water serpent that has between seven and nine heads. It has a venomous breath, blood, and fangs that can instantly kill any living creature. Cutting its head off is no good since it will simply grow back. Heracles also defeated this monster by cutting the heads off then applied blazing firebrands unto the oozing stump to prevent regrowth. Then Heracles dipped his arrows in the dragon’s blood to make it poisonous against his enemies.

Pytho or Python

The earth-dragon of Delphi, Python is a serpent-like dragon that was created and destroyed by Apollo. He was a drakaina – either a male or a female. He was the nemesis of Apollo. The story goes that when Leto was about to deliver Artemis and Apollo, sons of Zeus, Hera the jealous one ordered Python to chase Leto throughout the land so she would not deliver the sons. When the sons were finally delivered, Apollo chased the dragon to Mount Parnassus where he killed it.

The Colchian Dragon

This enormous serpent-like dragon was a child of Typhon and Echidna, therefore the sibling of Lernaean Hydra. It faithfully guarded the Golden Fleece at Colchis, said to never sleep or rest. When Jason tried to retrieve the Fleece, Medea the witch put the dragon to sleep.

Whether it’s Aerosmith or Lady Gaga concert, taking awesome photos in live acts are a major life goal for music photographers. You may always be on the lookout for Katy Perry or Blake Shelton 2015 tour dates, aspiring to take some cool photos like those concert photos by veteran photographers you’ve seen. These pros started out as beginners like you, and they all came across these useful tips that helped them capture the best concert photos ever:

Right Exposure. No one wants a too dark or too bright photo. It’s difficult to get the right light balance in a low light setting, but the general rule is you use the widest aperture you can. F/2.8 to f/4 is a good range. Spot-metering is also a good option if your camera has one. Focus on the artist’s face to ensure good focus and exposure.

Eliminating Blur. This is a tricky one since live artists move a lot on stage. Capture a head-banging rock star in a sharp image by increasing your ISO to around 800. Also widen your aperture and see if it allows you a fast shutter speed. Faster shutter speed, less blur.

Capturing Movement. If on the other hand you want to show the movement of the crowd or the artists. Use a lower shutter speed. Normally 1/30 to 1/60 will do but do experiment with your camera to get the perfect settings. Be careful to hold yourself very still though; you don’t want an overly blurry photo. Venues usually have interesting light system that you can capture using a trick called Slow Speed Sync. Using this option, you can harmonize your flash with your slow shutter speed so you can sharply capture the main subject with some faint movement trail on the background or foreground.

Getting Silhouettes. If the stage is bright and the audience area is dark, you can capture the crowd’s silhouette for a dramatic feel. Use a wide aperture (f/2.8 to f/4); turn off your flash; and use spot or multi-zone meter mode.

5. Capturing Lights. Laser lights can be very pretty if capture well. Use a high ISO (800 to 3200) and a wide aperture (f/4 to f/8) and keep yourself still.

Shopping every once in a while is a good practice. It helps you feel more relaxed and be relieved from stress. It lets you buy the necessities with your hard earned money. However, there are those who go beyond the limits. This is when they start to become shopping addicts.

Most people who have shopping addiction problems don’t know it up until it’s already too late. If you think you are developing this problem, here are some signs:

You might have created a budget for shopping. However, the amount that you spend goes beyond what you have set all the time.

Compulsive buying. This happens when you buy something just because you like it at first sight. Even if it is beyond what you can afford or there is really no reason for buying it, you still go for it.

Shopping guilt. If you start to feel guilt after you shop, then something is wrong. Shopping must make you feel relieved and stress-free, and not the other way around.

Lying about shopping. When you start lying about shopping or shop when no one is around, this could be a problem already,

What Should be Done

When you begin shopping addiction, you might spend more than what you earn. As such, you have to do the necessary measures to stop the problem from getting worse. Here’s how:

Admit having the problem. This is the first step to healing. You need to acknowledge that something is wrong with you.

Create a check list of the items that you have to buy. Make sure that you stick with this list and don’t give in to temptations.

Don’t walk around the mall or shopping area especially in places where you have nothing to buy from.

Get rid of checkbooks and credit cards. Using them won’t make you feel the instant gravity of what you have bought. Therefore, you feel like using them again and again.

Instead of being addicted to shopping, you can start diverting your attention to other activities. This could include the Daniel Tosh June Tour.

Country music star Justin Moore has released his third studio album called “Off the Beaten Path” on September 2013. As a country music fan, I am looking for new artists to listen to and the timing of Justin Moore’s album couldn’t have been better. I have listened to a few of his singles in the past and I can’t say I am expecting anything, but here’s my take on his album.

Originally, I was told that it’s something out of the ordinary since there’s rapping involved. New artists have been injecting innovative elements into country music to make it seem fresh. I was apprehensive at this idea because most rap songs just focus on the topic of money, sex, objectification of women and other possibly offensive stuff. I thought it was a bad idea and I am ready to be disappointed on the whole album but surprisingly, I am not.

Songs like “Dirt Road Kid” and “Letting the Night Roll” were like a mix of rock, hip-hop and country. While that does not particularly work for me, Justin made up for it on his other singles. What I like about this artist is that while he never fails to stop being innovative, he still includes traditional sounds in his songs like “In This Kind of Town” and “Beer”.

Justin shows off also his amazing vocals and range in the song “That’s how I know You Love Me”. Some tracks are quite soulful and would be amazing to see live in his Justin Moore Concert 2015. Other songs are quite funny lyrics-wise which portray that he is not afraid to show his funny side in the songs about a hangover, “Big Ass Headache” and about loving ass in “I’d Want It to Be Yours”. Good thing the latter wasn’t done in a disrespectful and sexist way.

His sentimental side is also shown in his duet with Miranda Lambert in the song “Old Habits”. Their heartfelt rendition makes it a standout single in his album. In addition to this, it has a strong 90’s feel that can make anyone feel nostalgic.

Overall, this album is amazing because of the authentic Southern music, but is also fresh because of the incorporation of new elements. Justin is not afraid to experiment and that’s what makes the album worth buying.

Ever been curious about what it takes to become a model? Sure, it is fun to get dressed and prepped up for the runaway, but modeling is not just about that. There are so many crap things models go through in order to get there. And even being there is no fun at all. Here we list down things you don’t know about what it is really like to be a model.

1. What reality shows show is not all true.

Many of us are made to believe that as long as you know how to work the camera, experiment with your poses and make creative angles, you will be a fireball in the model industry. The answer is no. Even if you end up as the top model in whatever reality show contest you join in, it does not define even 10% of how successful your modeling career will be.

2. Once a client chooses you from among other models in casting does not mean he or she is content with how you look.

More often than not, your personality or shall I say personal appearance would be altered just so you can look like the person the client had in mind. Your make up will be full to change the angles on your face. You hair color will be changed to perfect the style of clothing the client wants to sell. Plus, your shots will have to go through countless tweaks and alterations just so it can end up as the perfect image for a magazine. The moment you see the final picture, you probably won’t recognize that it is you in the picture.

3. How models look like today has no bearing on how models look like tomorrow.

In the course of 50 years or so, models look has gone from fat and voluminous to very thin. Top models used have normal butts to now having big butts. Whatever the future holds for aspiring models, we really cannot tell. It changes constantly that the only way for you to prepare is have enough money for some gene alteration – that means you have to change totally how you look just to fit in and I am pretty sure you are not ready to go through such hell.

4. Models are thin not because they don’t eat. Most of them just have super magical genes.

Unlike the common misconception that models only eat once a day to maintain their bodies, actually they don’t. A lot of models out there still eat like a normal person. They even don’t deprive themselves of getting a fast food takeout. They eat ice cream just like any of us do. They just don’t grow bigger because they have genes which are out of this world. Take Miranda Kerr, for example. Did it not get to your mind how on earth she lost all the baby weight within a month after delivering her baby? She even instantly went into a swimwear photo shoot days after delivery. And the photos were not altered at all. There are videos as evidence for her really gorgeous post-delivery body.

5. Being a model does not always mean you will be able to pay your utility bills.

Not all models who are hired for a photo shoot are paid with money. In fact, a lot of them especially those with little to no experience in modeling only get incentives for a photo shoot and the incentive would depend on what the client has in mind – clothes, recreational activity and etc. Have you noticed that in America’s Next Top Model winners of challenges are only given clothes but only seldom are compensated with cash? Consider this beforehand in case you are into modeling for money. You won’t get paid high especially on your first few years of being a model.

6. Casting can be very harsh.

Be prepared to receive unkind and harsh comments during casting. You might be called names and be given the worst criticisms of your life at every casting you go to. It is important that you develop some thick skin. Otherwise, you will suffer from very low self-esteem which may complicate to severe depression.

7. Photo shoots are not glamorous at all.

Being cast as a model for a particular photo shoot, say for instance, on apparel is not comfortable at all. You will be asked to change outfits more than fifty times. The type of clothes you will be featuring during the shoot will surely not fit the weather. You might be wearing snow clothes on a very humid day in California. Another thing is that the set for the photo shoot is not what you will 100% see in the final photo. The set can be really boring but the final photo, because of alterations, end up very interesting.

8. You have to be runway show ready.

In order to dominate the runway, you have to prepare months training and working out hard for it. You cannot just “not eat” for the runway. Otherwise, you will end up limping in the runway. You have to have a strong stamina and be very energized during that day so that you can go through fast-paced clothing changes and hair and makeup retouches. The magic we see in one day is a result of weeks to months of intense preparation.

9. Keep your guards high.

There will always be cameras everywhere even at the backstage of the runway. You have to be careful with these cameras because they can take pictures of your worst moment. You will be surprised to see yourself fully naked in the tabloids just because a scrupulous photographer took a photo of you while you were swiftly changing from one outfit to the next.

10. You will not always get to bring home the clothes and accessories you are modeling.

If this was the case, all designers would go bankrupt. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to bring home a Chanel purse after you attended a Chanel Fashion Show.

Being tasked to organize a photo shoot is not easy. This is true especially if the location is outdoors and it is not easily accessible. There is even bigger pressure when models with big names in the industry were hired for the campaign.

These models have attitudes and they might be difficult to work with at times. This is why the location has to be perfect. Everything that you need to make it work must be there or else everything will be delayed. If the models are irritated and so is the photographer, it could really spell disaster for everyone.

Create a checklist

This is why it is very important for you to have a checklist. You must have a clear idea on what exactly it is that you want to prioritize. You will also know what else is missing if you have a checklist. It would also be easier to delegate the tasks when you know where everything currently stands.

Make sure the essentials are there

In a photo shoot, the most important thing is the set. The concept that the photographer wants to realize should be present. The props and costume must also put everything as close to reality as possible. The entire staff and crew must be present and ready hours before the actual phot shoot. Of course, the equipment necessary for the pictorial must also be there. Everything should be checked to determine if there are potential problems that have to be fixed first.

The models’ tent

Since there is no actual dressing room in an outdoor location, there should be an improvised tent so the models won’t be irritated. They must feel totally comfortable. They must also be given assistance at all times. They have to look fresh and be on the mood while doing the job.

Don’t forget about the wash room. This is why you must contact emergency plumber Adelaide to provide plumbing service for an outdoor location. Of course, your models also have to use the washroom especially if the photo shoot is going to last for several hours.

Prepare everything in advance to avoid problems with the models. If they have special requests or they want to bring their personal assistants with them, take note of it.

Orient the entire crew

As the photo shoot begins, make sure that everyone knows their job. Someone should be there to assist the models. The others must help clean up the set when everything is done. Others should ensure that everything is brought back and packed properly. Most of all, the models and photographers must be brought to their accommodation or be fed well after the job is done.

Ad campaigns cost thousands of dollars. Major companies invest a lot of money for a great campaign. This means that if you are asked to organize one, you have to do everything you can to make the final output amazing. Otherwise, you might not be hired to do the same job again in the future.

When it comes to fashion shows, there are a lot of details that you have to take into consideration. The stage has to be perfect. The runway should have enough length to showcase the items being sold as well as to allow the models to show off their runway prowess. You must also hire the best models to represent the brand. They must have the right personality. They should be able to carry the dress well, but not in such a way that they overpower the dress with their personality. Most of all, you must have the right music. Everything should be perfect so that people will enjoy the show.

Right sequence

There should be a variety of songs to be used for the show. This will keep the people interested. If you have a theme, the songs must revolve around the theme. However, it should not be from the same genre. There should be songs that have faster tempo and those that are a bit slower. This will make the people easily remember the clothes that came out in each segment of the show. The dynamics should be there. If it is just upbeat from the start until the end, they might feel tired listening to the songs. If it is otherwise, they will get bored. Variety should be considered in choosing the songs. They need to be organized well so the people will be energized all throughout.

Use a string quartet

Have you ever tried hiring a string quartet to play for a fashion show? If no, this is perhaps the best option for the next show. The good thing about string quartet is that it is totally unique. You might not have heard of it before in a fashion show because it seems inappropriate. However, in fashion, it is always about innovation. If you can come up with a show where a string quartet would be amazing, go ahead and do it. Again, not all fashion shows need upbeat songs. Sometimes, it depends on the kind of dresses that you are to showcase. If you are interested in using this type of music, you might want to check out string quartet Adelaide. They will definitely give the show a unique spin. People will have a more unforgettable experience.

Evaluate the results

After the fashion show, you can ask some people in the audience if they have loved the show. You may also ask if they have suggestions for improvement. It helps that you know how they feel so that you can improve the next shows. You should also ask if they loved the idea of using the string quartet. It is important that you take their responses seriously. They are the main market for your show. They have to feel happy and satisfied. Otherwise, you won’t see them supporting these shows in the future. The key is to always come up with something new and unique. This will help sustain their interest.

You might have appreciated the final output of photoshoots and how amazing they are. Everything looks unreal. However, before they have reached that phase, those images have gone through a lot. People who are tasked to setup a place for fashion shoots have such a huge pressure on their shoulders. They need to make everything look perfect. Photo shoots are business campaigns. If they don’t do well, it means wasting money for the company.

Location is everything

Finding the perfect location is a must. It must not be too far that it would make everyone involved spend a lot of money for production cost. It must also be a unique place- something that has never been used before. It should not be the usual place that has already been found in several photo campaigns. If the photographer is not satisfied of the location, then everything might have to be changed and it is a huge waste of money.

Hiring models

Of course, models are the centerpiece of the photoshoot. They are the ones to advertise the product. They need to represent the company well. They must have the best outfit and the products to be sold must be highlighted during the shoot. They also need to be paid for their services and this should be negotiated with the modeling agency before booking them. Of course, their attitudes have to be taken into consideration.

Everything must be perfect

Once the location has been set and the models hired, the place must be made conducive for the photoshoot. The props required must be there. The equipment must be prepared in advance. The technical team must be ready. There should also be a tent to house the models. There should also be a place for the staff to work on. There must be a place for the photographer to rest on in between shots. Food must be served on time. Snacks must also be available for everyone working on the set. There should also be running and drinking water.

If you are tasked to do all of these things, it is such a huge burden. You can get help from plumber Modbury if you are in a far location without good plumbing or if you are in a place that has really bad plumbing that needs to be fixed. Even this detail must be given importance. Imagine being on the scene of the shoot and there is no running water or the toilet is not working. It would be such a big problem. Everyone will be angry at you. Once the staff lost their mood to work, then everything is over. It means money is wasted and the job is done. Things have to start over again and this could doom your job. In short, you need plumber Modbury to do the job.

Since you don’t want any of these bad things to happen, you need to make sure that you do your job well. You have to look into all these details and form a committee that will help you out.

You have seen band concerts, either acoustic or rock versions, and for sure you have noticed that along a guitar is an amplifier. If you never have seen or heard about an amplifier, it is basically an electronic amplifier which strengthens and pick ups the weakest electrical sound signals. Musicians using any types of guitar such as the acoustic, electric and bass guitar has a plugged in amplifier. A sound as little as the strum can literally be heard as the amplifier gives off sound waves every time there is a force made by the strings. An amplifier can be standalone or have a metal frame which contains a powerful amplifier.

The use of a guitar amplifier can also modify the instrument by emphasizing or de-emphasizing the tone into certain frequencies with a use of an equalizer that has a function of a bass and the treble, like a hi-fi stereo. This also have built in features wherein reverb, distortion and electronic effects are added.

All musicians find amplifiers to be important as this creates a better tone to your music. Finding the best amplifiers in your local area such as at guitar amplifiers Adelaide gives you an opportunity to produce more good music depending on the type of genre that you like. Most myths are that amplifiers makes an added noise to the guitar, which is basically not true. The amplifier does not affect the sound of the guitar when it comes to producing loud noises. The amplifier does encourage what the guitar is producing. For example, if you strum the guitar it will pass sound waves to the amplifier, not the vibrating string, but the frequency of the speaker cone that is vibrating.

In improving your sound, you also have to consider your investment with an amplifier. Most amplifiers can be sold at a cheaper range but do not have a complete set of knobs compared to an amplifier wherein you can do a lot of mixing in order for you to create a better sound. It is important as well that you know the types of amplifiers so that you will have an idea as to what type are you going to invest in. You can not see a musician who does not have amplifiers around them.

Amplifiers are also used differently depending on the person’s preference of music. If you compare it to rock metal musicians, of course, their type of music is much heavier and you would hear a bit of a loudness but that does not mean that you have to power up the usage of an amplifier. You can do about 100w, but if you are playing with a smaller amplifier, you can put a microphone on to make it easier to mix your sound to the rest of the band. But if you are playing at your bedroom or in a small room, you can amplify it at about less than 50w to control the sound.

If you are a beginner and you want to learn more about guitars and amplifiers, it would be best for you to do your research or go into a music school to help you more with the knowledge.

There are a lot of kinds of genres when it comes to the music industry. There are pop music, rhythm and blues (R&B), rock, mellow, reggae, metal, rock, pop, alternative, hip hop, jazz and the country music. In this 21st century, people would mostly prefer the rock, mellow, hip hop and rhythm and blues genres of music. There have been so many songs that have been recently released in the market and most of them are R&B songs. People are now getting so addicted to R&B, jazz and hip hop music. But there are still other genres of music which has some recently released songs but were overheard and overlooked by people because of the very fast release and promotion of R&B, jazz, hip hop, mellow music. One of the examples is the country music. A lot of teenagers did not even know that country music still exists at nowadays because they are too focused on listening to hip hop and R&B songs. Country music is very much popular in western countries like the United States. There is lots of great music under the country music genre which people take for granted most of the times.

So, what is a country music? A country music is a kind of music genre which is very popular in western countries. It was originated in the Southern part of United States in the early 1920’s. The root of the country music is a mixed of folk music, western and blues music. With that, the tone and kind of music of a country music is a slow and mellow dramatic kind of song. What make up the country music are dance tunes and ballads. It has a very simple form and type of harmony. Most of the country music is accompanied by acoustic guitars, harmonicas, and sometimes with banjos.

Most of the country music listeners and lovers would describe this kind of genre as a therapy and soothing to the soul since it gives a very relaxing harmony and tone to the listeners. It has been observed that most country music lovers are of ages between 30-60 years old since the country music took its height of fame during the 1920’s. But luckily, with the push of the music industry, saving the country music genre, a lot of the youth have been introduced into this kind of music.

One way of promoting the western country music will be the concert tour of Justine Moore. He is known to be famous of his western country songs and composition. He is a young artist from United States and his advocacy is to spread and keep the fire burning of the western music country. Also, he would like to give awareness to the people that western country music deserves a chance to be loved and listened to especially during this time of hip hop music. You can check Justin Moore Tour Schedule and reserve a ticket today and get the chance to experience a western country music that you would surely love.

Disney surely knows the way to a child’s heart. You grow up wanting to be a Disney princess. You made the story of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White as your aspirations in life. It’s not a bad thing for a kid. Fairytale somehow gives you the idea of dreaming beyond your imagination. The characters in the story also teach you how to beat the odds.

But if you’re thinking of putting up a shopping business, clothing line, pet related business like Play Safe Dogs, Cinderella has pieces of advice on how to be maintain a positive outlook. This is important to kick start your dream of becoming a business-owner.

Make the Dramatic Entrance

Cinderella made a grand entrance at the ball, don’t mind the tardiness. This is a lesson for you to create something unique to impress potential clients. Dig deeper, if you’re into shopping, think of the things that are hot and trendy for a specified target market. If you’re into pet ideas, research on what is the best dog food in the market and other pet products to offer the best for your possible clients.

Beat Your Evil Step-Sisters

The two evil step-sisters of Cinderella always looks for opportunities to get in her way. They’re just waiting for her to fail on everything. They take pleasure on her mistakes but Cinderella simply ignored them with a clean slate. Starting up a business is more difficult if your friends and families will only say negative things. Don’t listen to them, these negative remarks may jeopardize your business. Stay positive and increase your determination to beat the odds.

Fairytale has a happy ending because the characters work hard to surpass their evil-step mothers and step-sisters. But of course with the help of their own fairy-god mothers. It’s typical but it’s what fantasy is all about, everything is possible just for the character to get through.

Once upon a time, there lived a pretty princess who had a golden ball. Then one day, while playing in the castle’s garden, the ball fell into a pond. The princess was very upset and didn’t know what to do. While she sat helplessly, a frog appeared hopping out of the pond and asked, “Why are you crying, little princess?” then Bruno Mars started singing…

“Baby girl….

Come and give me some of that gold!

I can see you shine from afar

Ima come and give you some love

…only you girl…can’t lie in my world, oh no”

Courtesy: Bruno Mars-Gold Lyrics

After admitting he fancies pirate gold, flaunts golden jackets on his performances and writes songs about “Gold”, “Treasure”, and Billionaire, Bruno Mars may never be in need of any more wealth because he’s now crowned as the new “Pop Prince” by Billboard. Mars also was awarded as ‘male singer of the year’ honors, largely because of the success of his album “Unorthodox Jukebox” and his chart-topping hit singles, “When I Was Your Man,” which topped No.1, and “Treasure,” grasped the Top 5. Being the star to the half-time performance headliner in the 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII must have mattered.

He may not be the new king of pop yet, but Bruno Mars makes a pretty good pop prince. And this chameleonic Hawaiian-Hispanic hit maker also makes a pretty good host as well as a musical guest in NBC’s SNL (Saturday Night Live)–the episode which marked this season’s highest ratings.

For a decade, only eight selected musicians have been asked to do both hosting and musical guest duties in the same SNL airing. This includes Mick Jagger, Elton John, and Justin Timberlake it’s Bruno Mars, who, unlike some of the prior hosts, stated that he never has done comedy nor acting before. This really showed at times, as Mars could be stiff and uncomfortable, but most of the time he pulled off his duties. While this episode had a few pretty terrible sketches, it probably had the most LOL(laugh-out-loud) moments compared to any episode this season had so far.

‘If you can’t say it, just sing it!’ a Bruno Mars’ charming monologue. Mars first sang a ballad about being nervous of hosting, and it turned into a full-band romp about how awesome he would do. “I can do it!” Bruno says and he definitely did!